Are there really going to be Solar powered greenhouses coming to the Fort Peck Reservation?
The old proverb of giving a man a fish or teaching him how to fish is as relevant today as when it was first said.
The Tribal Council, HPCP, Kenny Smoker have been studying and analyzing the concept of having sustainable greenhouses on the Fort Peck Reservation for awhile now.
Here’s the plan: ONE GIANT DOME attached to the schools, kids and elders will care for the sustainable, organic food source, and FOOD GROWS 12 MONTHS A YEAR!
Can you imagine organic fruit and veggies for the whole community 24/7?!
LHNC has been asked to help and build the greenhouse kits! This is to prepare them to start growing food.
One of the models being studied are geodescent growing domes that are solar powered! There is no need for scorching heat or the frigged cold, the temperature is constant ALL YEAR ROUND!
……WHAT?!
The great part is the kids from the schools will take ownership of doing something that not only affects their family, but for other families as well. It will also be an awesome perk while being in school…can you say, “EXTRA CREDIT!!”
The interface of elders and kids working together really makes this project a winner.
There is a certain connection you get when you work with the soil. Working these greenhouses will bring that feeling, that connection alive again. It’s in all the kids, but today in the modern world, there are not many small farmers left.
Passing along traditional values, culture and the ‘uniqueness’ of being Native American are priceless to these kids as they escape from extreme hopelessness and 3rd world conditions. Tending these greenhouses will bring alive a feeling of power, purpose, of doing something that benefits all.
It will obviously take lots and lots of these organic ‘greenhouses’ to feed the community, but this is a tremendous first step. It’s often been said the 1,000 mile journey begins with the first step.
Helping grow organic food will create a new purpose and ownership for lots of kids. Almost like a community center the kids and elders will interact and share with each other.
They may be coming sooner than you think!